IVGID board votes to change meeting venue to Chateau

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INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - It didn't take long for the newest board of trustees for the Incline Village General Improvement District to make a significant change.

Beginning the second Wednesday in March, the board will hold its regular twice-monthly meetings at The Chateau, a venue officials agree is more suited to host the growing crowd of people in attendance.

Trustees voted 5-0 for the venue change last Wednesday during their first meeting of 2013 at the district's administration building at 893 Southwood Blvd.

For years, the IVGID board has met at the Southwood site - officially known as the IVGID Anne Vorderbruggen Administration Building - save for a few meetings at the much larger Chateau when a controversial issue such as beach access was discussed. In recent months, however, attendance at board meetings has increased to the point where standing-room-only crowds of residents and staff filter into the building's hallway.

Trustee Jim Smith proposed the venue change as part of a discussion among the board about potential cost-saving opportunities with a different meeting schedule and location.

While the board agreed to change venues, trustees disagreed on other ideas, including proposing meeting days be changed to Friday evenings to better accommodate the working class, and to perhaps hold meetings once a month.

Trustee Joe Wolfe disagreed with both, saying a change in meeting time could exclude the large crowd that already attends, a crowd that plans on twice-monthly meetings.

"To accommodate people who don't show, it isn't a good idea," Wolfe said.

Trustee Bill Devine agreed, saying that residents voted for trustees to trust them to attend all the meetings and do their job of overseeing the district.

"It's not incumbent of the public to attend all the meetings," he said. "If it's important to you, you'll attend."

Considering the larger-than-normal agenda last Wednesday, the meeting lasted roughly four hours, something Simonian pointed to when weighing the possibility of meeting once a month.

"That's too many hours for one meeting to cram it all in," he said.

During public comment, some residents scoffed at the idea of changing the meeting schedule, one of whom was Art Berliner.

"It's always been twice a month ... we elected trustees knowing there would be two meetings a month - now right away you want to automatically change it?" Berliner said.

Smith said he brought up the discussion because he sees the potential for as much as $60,000 in annual savings if the board were to meet on a monthly basis, by way of less paper being needed to print agendas, less staff devoted to meetings and other costs.

Wolfe disputed the $60,000 figure, however, saying it's not entirely accurate considering meeting once a month with a larger agenda could sap a good deal of staff time and resources.

In the end, the board voted to revisit timing of board meetings this summer.